Private Pre-Kindergarten in Tarzana, CA
Ages 4-5 Years Old
Fostering confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love for education.
Why Woodcrest Pre-K Stands Out
Woodcrest’s Pre-K program is for children ages 4-5 years old the year before they enter kindergarten. Children who turn 5 between September 2nd and December 2nd will attend our transitional kindergarten program. At Woodcrest Pre-K, we thoroughly prepare our students for kindergarten by focusing on critical skills and knowledge. We emphasize fine motor skills, letters, numbers, shapes, colors, writing, social-emotional skills, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). Our comprehensive approach equips your little one academically, socially, and emotionally for the next step in their educational journey!
Our Prekindergarten Cranium Curriculum
In our Pre-K curriculum, your child will discover phonics, learn to write letters and numbers independently, and master writing their own name! We also place a strong emphasis on learning to play and share with other children and learning to understand their feelings to prepare them to be successful in kindergarten.
Author of the Month
Each month, we shine a spotlight on a particular author by learning about their background and exploring their collection of books. Reading to pre-k students daily introduces them to new words, phrases, and sentence structures and enhances their language skills and cognitive development. Reading is also an important part of our daily routine, providing structure and predictability for your child.
Artist of the Month
Each month we introduce students to renowned artists, allowing them to learn about the artist’s unique style and techniques. We work on many art projects and crafts surrounding this artist throughout the month along with free art where students can create what they like. We encourage students to look for shapes, patterns, and colors in a piece of art and then have them create their own take on that piece through many forms such as painting, gluing, and coloring.
Letter of the Week
Each week, we focus on a different letter to nurture our students’ language skills. We practice tracing and writing both the uppercase and lowercase versions of the letter and set up a special tray or table filled with items that all start with the chosen letter, like a ball, a boat, and books, helping children connect the letter’s shape and sound with real-world objects and developing their writing skills. We focus on three letters each month and spend the last week of the month reviewing all three letters we learned in the previous weeks.
Number of the Week
In our pre-K program, we enhance our students’ ability to recognize and comprehend numbers by dedicating one week to each number. During this time, our students grasp the connection between the number’s name and its symbol, and trace or cut out the number’s shape. We practice counting to help children establish a tactile and visual understanding of the quantity represented by the number. We focus on three numbers each month and spend the last week of the month reviewing all three numbers we learned in the previous weeks.
STEAM
The STEAM curriculum, which includes Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math, uses real-world applications of each of these subjects in teaching to help students relate to and understand abstract concepts. STEAM in pre-K encourages young learners to ask questions, explore, and experiment. It not only introduces fundamental concepts in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics but also instills a sense of wonder and curiosity that lays the foundation for lifelong learning and problem-solving skills.
Motor Skills
We practice developing fine and gross motor skills every day through various activities such as using pencils or crayons or moving around outside. During outside time each day we enjoy a a variety of activities such as learning to catch and throw, kicking a ball, walking on a balance beam, or running.
Learning Activities for Pre-K
In Pre-K it’s important to focus on developing your child’s early literacy skills and critical thinking and encourage them to use their creativity through fun and simple activities.
Writing Center
In our writing centers, we encourage students to complete two worksheets daily to help them develop letter and number writing skills. These worksheets include tracing and independent writing spaces. Students are also encouraged to write their names on their worksheets, promoting both writing skills and self-recognition.
Art Projects
Each day, our pre-k students engage in hands-on projects that align with the theme of the month. These projects may involve cutting out paper to craft bugs or animals, drawing with crayons and markers, or using paper and glue to create captivating collages. Our art endeavors not only foster artistic expression but also enhance fine motor skills and expand our students’ understanding of the world around them!
STEAM Problem Solving
Each month the children read a new book with their teacher and then have to solve a problem using STEAM. For example, one month we read The Three Little Pigs and then had students build houses out of different materials in a way that they couldn’t be blown over. This helps our students to find real-world solutions to a variety of problems and physically connect to the stories we read.
Our Private Pre-K Schedule
Morning Circle Time
We review our calendar, sing songs, read a story, and get ready for the day.
Math or Writing
We practice tracing and writing letters and numbers and counting.
Arts & Crafts
Students create a new craft every day to go with the month’s theme.
Outside Time
We play games related to that month’s theme to help children be active and get some fresh air.
Lunch
Students eat their lunch.
STEAM Projects
We may cook, build something, or work on an experiment.
Nap/Quiet Time
We read books and dim the lights for students to rest.
Free Play
Students work on independent art projects or in centers.
Pick Up
Our pre-k students play outside while they wait to be picked up.
See What Our Families Have To Say!
How to Enroll in Pre-K
Once you have decided that Woodcrest Preschool is the right fit for your family, we are ready to help you with the enrollment process! Please visit our enrollment page to find all the enrollment forms. Enrollment is only confirmed after a face-to-face meeting with the Preschool Director.
- Step 1: Tour Woodcrest Preschool
- Step 2: Submit Enrollment Forms
- Step 3: Meet With Preschool Director
FAQs
Pre-K, short for “pre-kindergarten,” is designed for children who are around 4 to 5 years old, in the year before they enter kindergarten. Preschool, on the other hand, can encompass a broader age range of young children in the years before they begin school.
Pre-K students learn fine motor skills, basic writing, numbers, letters, art, and science concepts.
Full-time full-day Pre-K at Woodcrest costs $1,395 per month and part time Pre-K can cost $770-1,148 per month.
We are open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, with class starting at 9 am and ending at 5:15 pm.
Children should be enrolled in Pre-K when they are 4 years old, the year before they begin kindergarten.
Around the age of 4 and 5 children learn best through visuals and consistent patterns. We use pictures to demonstrate correct behavior and establish daily routines to help our students learn.
Our Pre-K programs run from August to June and we offer preschool camp during the summer.
